In 2024-25, San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle ran away with the Rookie of the Year award, earning 92 of 100 first-place votes. He averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.
Now, we look ahead to a crop of rookies that features one of the best we’ve seen in the last decade or so: former Duke Blue Devils superstar Cooper Flagg.
Here are the latest odds and our best bets to win the award.
NBA Rookie of the Year Odds
All NBA odds are current as of Friday, Oct. 17, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks (-180)
- VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers (+1000)
- Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards (+1000)
- Ace Bailey, Utah Jazz (+1000)
- Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs (+1100)
- Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets (+1500)
All other players have (+2000) odds or longer to win NBA Rookie of the Year.
NBA Rookie of the Year Best Bet
Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks (-180)
There’s not a lot of value here at -180, but I just can’t fathom another player winning it barring injury.
Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 3-point shots made per game with Duke last season.
- See where the Mavericks rank in the latest NBA Finals odds.
He’ll be a key piece on the Mavericks after trading away Luka Doncic, and he’ll have Kyrie Irving to help dish him the ball.
Not only that, but Flagg will also have Anthony Davis to work with, too.
He should have a dominant rookie season.
At (-180), I’m rolling with Flagg with my NBA bet of the day.
NBA Rookie of the Year Favorites
V.J. Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers (+1000)
Edgecombe had a massively impressive Summer League debut, scoring 28 points and adding 10 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks against the Jazz.
He also had an impressive preseason game on Oct. 17, logging 34 minutes and putting up 26 points, six rebounds, three assists, and five steals.
In his lone season with Baylor, Edgecombe averaged 15 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.6 3-point shots made per game.
Edgecombe will be a key cog in the 76ers’ backcourt, and his expectations are high to help move this team back toward being a force in the East.
Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards (+1000)
Johnson came out of Texas after just one season and went No. 6 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and was second-team All-SEC.
He averaged 19.9 points (led the SEC), 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.7 3-point shots per game.
Unfortunately, the Wizards are one of the worst teams in the league, and Johnson doesn’t exactly have a superstar talent around him, but his shooting ability, especially from beyond the arc, should help push his odds up as the season goes on.
NBA Rookie of the Year Contenders
Ace Bailey, Utah Jazz (+1000)
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Bailey enters an incredibly young Jazz roster as the No. 5 overall pick, which has a plethora of recent draft picks to help them build a competitive team in the future.
In one season with Rutgers, Bailey averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.3 blocks, and 1.6 3-point shots per game. He also shot 46% from the floor.
With his talent, Bailey should have plenty of opportunities to be the go-to scorer for the Jazz, which could lead to an inflated points per game average.
It wouldn’t be shocking at all to see him finish second behind Flagg in the voting come the end of the season.
Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs (+1000)
Bailey’s teammate at Rutgers, Harper, also comes in at +1000. Harper was third-team All-Big Ten and a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. He averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He shot over 48% from the floor and 33.3% from beyond the arc.
While he’s an extremely talented player, he enters a Spurs team that’s quite deep at his position, and he’ll need to contend with Castle, last year’s ROTY, De’Aaron Fox, and Devin Vassell.
My expectations for Year 1 are a bit tempered.
NBA Rookie of the Year Sleepers
Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets (+1500)
Knueppel was the Robin to Flaggs’ Batman at Duke last season, averaging 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 2.2 3-point shots per game. He shot 47.9% from the floor and 40.6% from beyond the arc.
Going No. 4 overall, Knueppel enters a bad Hornets team that went 19-63 last season. He was second-team All-ACC, the ACC Tournament MVP, and was part of the ACC All-Freshman team.
While the Hornets are bad, Knueppel will be relied upon to shoot from beyond the arc plenty, as the team has ranked 28th or worse in two of the last three seasons.
There could very well be a scenario where Knueppel is relied upon so much that his statistics balloon to a point where he could compete with his former teammate for the award.
Hansen Yang, Portland Trail Blazers (+3000)
Yang played for the Qingdao Eagles in the CBA from 2023 to 2025, where he was a two-time All-Star and CBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Last season, he averaged 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks for the Eagles.
A big man with someone like Damian Lillard to work with, Yang should play meaningful minutes, but general manager Joe Cronin did signal that he could spend time with their G League affiliate.
He brings a notable presence coming over from China, but it may take some time to acclimate to the NBA game.
